


All The King's Horses

by PaperNPencil



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, M/M, Mad King Ryan, Magic, Minecraft, Multi, OT6, One-Sided Relationship, for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 03:32:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2333693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperNPencil/pseuds/PaperNPencil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Long ago, when the land was at peace and beings of all kinds lived together in harmony, there was a kingdom known as Achievia. The kingdom was an old kingdom, led by generations after generations of good and kind hearted kings who had made the land grow and prosper like no kingdom before. The land was rich and fertile, with bountiful and never ending harvest. The people lived comfortably and well, as their resources never grew short. Poverty and disease was non-existent as everyone was content in their needs. Achievia was considered the greatest kingdom in all of the land.</p>
<p>Up till the great devastation 50 years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Long ago, when the land was at peace and beings of all kinds lived together in harmony, there was a kingdom known as Achievia. The kingdom was an old kingdom, led by generations after generations of good and kind hearted kings who had made the land grow and prosper like no kingdom before. The land was rich and fertile, with bountiful and never ending harvest. The people lived comfortably and well, as their resources never grew short. Poverty and disease was non-existent as everyone was content in their needs. Achievia was considered the greatest kingdom in all of the land.

Up till the great devastation 50 years ago.

The last king to rule the kingdom of Achievia was the just and intelligent King Ryan Haywood. He was as good a king as the others before him and he ruled with a fair hand. The people adored him for his kind heart, and his armies respect him for his strategies and subtle methods in resolving inter-kingdom conflict.

The king was a great ruler but a quiet man and had few but very close friends. He had only four men in his life whom he could call the only true friends he had ever had. His first friend was his childhood friend, Geoff who had become his advisor when he ascended the throne. Geoff was the son of a noble that was close friends with his father so Ryan as a child would always spend time with him when they visited. Geoff was a very casual man who drank too much wine for an advisor, but always had a sharp and quick-witted mind on his shoulders. He also had a full and compassionate heart worn proudly on his sleeve, which Ryan and many others respect him for.

The second was Jack, who was considered the youngest and greatest travelling artisan of that time. Jack would always be commissioned by Ryan’s father to build sculptures, structures and weapons so he visited the kingdom quite frequently for work. This was how Ryan met him one day, as Ryan was curios and was always willing to learn more. Jack would let Ryan watch him work as he would also make conversation, slowly making them friends. When Ryan became king, Jack continued to work on commissions for him with utmost priority and would come visit as often as he could. Jack was a pacifist and kind from the bottom of his heart. He was sincere and honest in everything he did, and Ryan liked that most about him.

Then there were the youngest two, Michael and Ray. Michael and Ray were orphans who lived in an orphanage in the outskirts of the city. Ryan had met them one day when he snuck out for a walk through the outskirts in disguise to see how the lifestyle was like outside the castle walls. He stumbled upon them fending off a few forest bandits kidnapping the younger orphans at the edge of the forest, where they were playing.

Michael was a brawler with strength that rivalled a bear ten times his size. He fought ruthlessly and showed the bandits no mercy, quickly decimated them with nothing but with the brute force of his fists. Ray, however, was the opposite. Using a broken branch, he dispatched the bandits with grace and precision, only hitting critical areas of the body to completely immobilize them with minimum effort.

Ryan was about to assist them but saw that they handled the situation with little problem. He helped them escort the children back to the orphanage and instantly struck up a friendship with them. Ray and Michael had no care for his status as royalty and would always meet up with him when he came down to the outskirts, which was as often as he could.

Ray was a calm and level-headed person, a contrast to Michael’s fiery personality but Michael wore his heart on his sleeve. They both earned a spot in Ryan’s close circle of friends and when Ryan became king, he immediately appointed them as knights. In little to no time, Ray had become Commander-in-Chief of the kingdom’s army due to his adaptable strategies and skill whereas Michael became Field Marshal and the strongest knight in the army.

Ryan would have never been where he was now if it were not for his closest friends who had given him advice and council throughout his life. Geoff’s wisdom, Jack’s understanding, Ray’s calm and Michael’s loyalty. All of which he loved most from each of them.

It was this thought that led him to an epiphany. Without realising, he had fallen in love with his four closest friends and could do nothing about it because such a love was forbidden in those times and could mean his death. Ryan did not dare reveal his feelings toward his friends, afraid they might reject him, and hid his emotions in the darkest depths of his heart, forever remaining as one of his deepest and darkest desires.

This brought forth Achievia’s undoing. A dark and sinister creature that lay beneath the kingdom, waiting for its time to strike, felt the dark desire festering in Ryan’s heart and assaulted the young king’s mind one night. Ryan, who had studied magic before, managed to shield his mind from the demon but the demon’s voice remained, tempting and goading him to give in but Ryan held his ground.

Knowing his court might not believe him and not wanting to tell his friends lest he reveal his true feelings towards them, he kept the demon in his mind a secret and tolerated the voice till he found a way to remove it. Ryan had a strong will and he was confident he could keep the demon at bay for the time being, much to the demon’s annoyance.

However, the demon was an ancient evil and knew how to manipulate Ryan’s young mind.

One day, Ryan found out that Jack had to leave the country for work and would not know when he would be back. No matter how much Ryan tried to convince Jack to stay, Jack still had to leave as he had a debt to a king from a kingdom in another country. Even if Ryan offered to pay his debt for him, Jack refused as it would not be honourable. This made Ryan furious and the demon took its chance.

With sweet temptations and enough goading, Ryan’s desire overwhelmed him and the seed of madness was sowed in his heart. On the night before Jack’s departure, Ryan requested Jack to see him to wish him farewell and Jack went to see him unknowing of the misfortune awaiting him. With guidance from the demon, Ryan turned Jack into a statue, forever immobile and frozen in time, to ensure Jack would stay forever.

Ryan ensured nobody knew of this, convincing everyone Jack had left earlier, and kept Jack in his garden among his other statues. Every week Ryan would visit Jack and spoke with him without response. This made some of the members in his court worried but they shrugged it off as early signs of senility.

Next was when Ryan found that Ray had become more bored and absentminded during their weekly meetings. Ray was always absent from his chambers and not in the castle most of the time, only speaking with Michael in the mornings and then leaving for most of the day. Ryan then found out why when he was on his way to visit Jack in his garden one day.

He found that Ray was spending most of his time in the garden, tending to a rose bed made of luscious blood-red roses. Ray held each rose with such delicacy and gentleness that Ryan could not help but feel jealous. The demon ensnared Ryan’s mind once more with exaggerated claims and prodding till Ryan snapped.

That night, Ryan called Ray to the castle’s garden and cursed the roses that Ray so lovingly grew to trap and consume his heart, his soul forever trapped in a cage of thorns while his body became a mindless puppet to the king.

Then, Ryan heard word of Michael courting a woman. Filled with envy and resentment, he demanded to know who it was and found out that it was a healer whom Michael had met when he was wounded and had frequently visited since. Madness continued to grow in Ryan’s heart and in outrage; he ordered her execution for a crime he had framed her for. When Michael heard of the news, he immediately confronted the king alone and refuted Ryan’s claims of her crimes while willing to prove her innocence.

This enraged Ryan and even without the demon’s encouragement, he had cursed the armour Michael wore to force him into obedience. Michael would never be able to feel happiness as he too would be imprisoned by the flames of rage as Ryan was, by his own armour that protected him. This curse turned Michael into nothing but an unstoppable killing machine that then the demon used to conquer other nearby kingdoms which started to destroy the life of peace the kingdom had for many years.

Geoff, shocked by the actions of his childhood friend, attempted to reason with Ryan but Ryan was too far gone in his madness. The demon had long taken over and the man Ryan was before had been buried under the sea of insanity.

The demon, knowing Geoff to be the only voice of reason left that Ryan would listen too, sealed Geoff’s voice away and transformed his appearance so he would be unrecognizable and then tossed him into a pit in the forest, never to be seen or heard of again.

The demon, using Ryan’s body, took charge of the kingdom and sought to take over other empires by force and bloodshed. The people suffered great losses and the soldiers became expendable puppets for the demon to use. The villagers were dying from starvation and poverty. The crops were destroyed by enemy troops and what was left of the livestock died from disease.

The title of the Mad King was born and kingdoms all over the region feared and trembled at the sound of his name. The world was in chaos and monsters from the Nether fed on the destruction and carnage of the war between kingdoms.

For the first time in centuries, Achievia had fallen.

The war had caused imbalance and threatened the harmony between dimensions. Thus, this had triggered a phenomenon that had not occurred for millions of years. From the darkest regions of The End, the Ender Lord awoke from his eternal slumber and involved himself in the war to end it once and for all. With the power of the Endermen and the Ender Dragon, the Ender Lord squashed anyone who stood in his way and destroyed the Mad King’s forces with little effort.

The Ender Lord then placed a curse on the Mad King and his thralls; to never be able to set foot outside the Mad King’s domain till the king’s madness has been exorcised. The Ender Lord took pity on the cursed ones the king once called his closest friends and instead made them guardians of the domain to ensure only a person worthy enough could enter the Mad King’s Keep.

Till now, the Mad King’s domain in the darkest regions of the Dark Forest, protected by the Guardians, still remains where the Mad King and his thralls lay asleep. Waiting for the day to be set free from the curse of the Ender Lord; waiting for a brave adventurer or an unsuspecting traveller to free them from their eternal bonds.

Or a desperate idiot by the name of Gavin Free.


	2. The Fool

**All The King’s Horses: Chapter 1**

**The Fool**

_A journey begins_   
_where a wanderer starts_   
_but an adventure is found_   
_where a fool traipses._

Gavin Free was aware that he was not as bright as the average man but had his younger self seen him now, he would probably be considered the _biggest_ idiot of the land.

With a rugged bag of his meagre belongings hunched over his back and trusty bow slung over his shoulder, Gavin gulped as he stared into the opening of the Dark Forest. The forest loomed over him like a menacing giant, its tall trees reaching towards the sky like forsaken souls desperate for light. Light itself seemed to be sucked into the void of the Dark Forest and the air was as still as death. Gavin was _really_ starting to regret his decision.

He was born into a poor family and till now was still a poor man. Work was hard to come by in his village and anywhere else was either too far to travel or weather too harsh to bear. Even with his considerable skill as a bowman and light-footed speed, odd jobs here and there were still insufficient to buy enough food for the day. The times were getting rougher for the people and the weather growing harsher on the crops. There was never enough for everybody, no matter how hard he worked.  He was desperate and tired so when he caught word of a hidden treasure within the Dark Forest, it was considered a godsend at the time.

‘ _Well, not so much now, bloody idiot._ ’ Gavin thought miserably.

Like the fool he was, he gathered his will and all his belongings (few as they were) with the mind set on a journey to find the hidden treasure so that he may finally live in prosperity and maybe even help the people in his village. Dan, his childhood friend, had helped him throughout the harsh times of his life. He would do anything to repay his debts.

As he travelled towards the forest, his initial burst of courage dwindled and when he finally reached the opening, Gavin had to properly rethink things through.

“It’s not as if I have anything else to lose…” Gavin mumbled to himself.  ‘ _Except maybe your life?’_ Gavin grimaced at the thought and shook his head. He made the decision and he was going to stick with it. So with a huff of determination, he took a step towards the forest only to jump in fright when an oddly large crow squawked at him from an overhanging tree branch.

He looked up in surprise and immediately scowled at the bird above him. The crow had feathers as dark as ink and its eyes held a glow of an unusual purple. It looked at him with open curiosity, as though it were judging him. Gavin was thoroughly creeped out by it especially with its eerie eyes staring at him. He had not noticed the bird earlier and wondered for a moment how it suddenly popped up.

“Hey, you creepy bird! What are you staring at?!” Gavin yelled grumpily at the crow. The crow tilted its head and after a minute or two, flew off in a silent flutter of wings towards the forest.

“Stupid bird…” Gavin mumbled and sighed. He continued his walk into the Dark Forest, still intimidated by the ominous atmosphere.

The trees grew taller and taller as he ventured deeper into the forest, till their dark leaves blocked out the afternoon sun entirely. No wind blew through the forest and the air was cold and damp. The somewhat vague trail he was following was soon covered in thick roots and rotten leaves. Moss and fungi grew in all the little gaps and crevices of the trees. Rocks littered the ground and Gavin had to tread carefully but that did not stop him from stumbling and tripping as he carried on forward.

He lost track of time after a long while and when he found some level ground, decided to set up camp for the night. He managed to start a small fire for some warmth and ate a piece of stale bread that he had brought with him. He had not been able to find any small animals to hunt for dinner so he had to make do with what he had for now.

As the fire crackled, he looked around his little camp. The shadows casted by the trees looked like ghosts repelled by the light of the small fire and still no sound of fauna could be heard. The ambiance of this place made Gavin’s spine shiver, from the cold or from fright, he did not know.

 He laid down on the ground with his head on his pack and started thinking of his village. If he could find the treasure, he imagined how much better life would be at home. Dan could finally have the chance to become a knight for the country and the little children Gavin always played with could get new toys instead of using sticks and rocks all the time. His village would not have to starve anymore and Gavin would not have to struggle to make ends meet any longer. He could finally make people happy! Those thoughts made Gavin smile to himself with hope.

“Now who in the world would smile like that in a place like this?” A voice across him suddenly asked.

Gavin squawked loudly in alarm, disturbed suddenly from his daydreaming and in panic, scurried for his bow and arrows. When he finally found them and faced the source of the voice, he blinked in surprise. The newcomer was a young-looking man sitting on a rock near the fire. The stranger looked at him with amusement, an eyebrow raised in interest.

The strange man had frames of glass which covered his eyes but that did not hide the subtle glowing ring of purple around his irises. He wore a simple but sleek black doublet over a dark long sleeved shirt with a pair of black breeches. He would have looked like an image of Death himself if it were not for his laid-back demeanour or the fact that he was completely unarmed. What caught Gavin’s attention was the brooch on his chest which looked like an eye of a reptile set in obsidian that seemed to stare at him knowingly.

Gavin gulped but kept his focus on the stranger. He had expected monsters or demons in the forest but certainly not a man though his gut had a feeling that this stranger was not all that he seemed.

“W-Who are you?” Gavin asked the stranger. He gripped his bow a little tighter when the man smirked and bowed his head slightly in greeting.

“I have no intention of harming you, Gavin. You may call me Kdin.” Answered the stranger, his voice calm with a hint of mirth.

Gavin blinked rapidly and slowly lowered his bow and arrow. His mouth gaped open like a fish and when his voice finally managed to spill from his lips, “H-How do you know my name? And what sort of name is Kdin?? That’s a weird name to call someone. Your parents must not like you very much. Is it even English?” He rambled in sudden confusion. The fright from before had disappeared and was now replaced with innocent curiosity.

The man, Kdin, blinked in bewilderment. After a moment, he composed himself and with an amused huff, said, “You’re surprisingly very trusting of a stranger you have just met.”

Gavin scoffed and pointed at him. “Well it’s not like you can hurt me or anything since you’re unarmed. I’m quite good with a bow and arrow.” He drew his bow to explain his meaning, only to accidentally hit himself in the face with a loud squawk.

Kdin sighed and shook his head. “Be that as it may, it does not mean I cannot bring you harm. You should be more careful especially around these parts for nothing may be as they seem.” He remarked.

Gavin rubbed his bruised nose and flashed a happy-go-lucky grin. “Well, you’re nice for telling me that so I’m sure you’re an alright guy even with a funny name.” He chimed.

Kdin placed a palm over his face and sighed once again. He schooled his features back into calm and leaned forward towards the fire. Shadows danced across his face as the small fire crackled in the centre of the small camp. “What brings you here, traveller? Not many would come here unless driven by something.” The mysterious man inquired.

Gavin sat closer to the fire for more warmth and crossed his legs to get himself comfortable. “I heard from some travellers that there was a hidden treasure within the Dark Forest so I wanted to have a go at it. Nothing to lose and all.” He responded while rubbing his hands together to get some more heat.

Kdin narrowed his eyes and steepled his hands together. Gavin felt the sudden tension within the air and tensed instinctively. “For selfish greed? Do you truly have nothing to lose?” The man quietly asked.  His voice was soft but felt like a quake in the forest’s silence.

In a sudden bout of courage and anger, Gavin snapped, “I don’t need you to tell me how I need to live my life! I may have very little left but if I’ve got to risk it to help the people who have cared for me when they didn’t have to then you’ll be damned sure I will!” He huffed after his outburst and crossed his arms in defiance. ‘ _That’ll teach the pissy little piss pot with the dumb name.’_ Gavin grumbled to himself.

Then, a burst of laughter came from the man and Gavin blinked in confusion. Kdin’s laughter slowly simmered to a chuckle and he grinned at Gavin. “I think you’ll do. I have a good feeling about you.” He beamed and stood up.

“Huh?” Gavin looked at him in befuddlement.

A golden key materialised in Kdin’s hand and he tossed it towards Gavin, who tried to catch it but got hit in the face with it instead.

“Keep that with you, Gavin Free. You’ll need it soon for your journey. Good luck.” Kdin said as he waved a goodbye to Gavin and walked into the darkness of the forest.

Gavin fumbled for the key and rubbed his sore face. “Wait! How do you know my name?!” He called but his mysterious acquaintance had already disappeared into the void of the forest. He looked about his surroundings and saw that nothing had changed, as though the stranger was never there. Gavin sighed and plopped back down on the ground with his head on his pack.

The silence was deafening once again with only the crackle of the fire and his breathing to interrupt it. He held the key in his hand and inspected it. It was a pure gold key with weird symbols engraved on its surface. The key alone would be enough to buy him a month’s worth of food but Kdin said to keep it, so he would. He stuffed the key into his bag and lay back down.

A day’s worth of boring walking and a meeting with a stranger with a weird name. So far, his journey does not seem too bad, Gavin thought, maybe tomorrow he might have better luck in his adventure. He closed his tired eyes and blissful sleep blanketed him in moments.

 

__

 

Gavin woke up to the sight of the small pile of ashes that was his campfire and quickly sat up to stretch his limbs. After he had another nibble on some stale bread for breakfast, he quickly packed up his things and continued his long journey of nothing but trekking over thick roots and rocks of the silent forest.

The greenery grew thicker and thicker as he travelled deeper into the forest. It seemed to slowly morph from a forest into a thick jungle as he continued on. _‘How odd.’_ Gavin wondered. Vines littered his surroundings and he struggled to weave through the thick foliage. The trees had gotten thicker and higher till he could not even see the ceiling of the canopy. ”How is this even real??” Gavin muttered to himself as he pushed a branch out of the way and stumbled onwards.

Suddenly, his foot got caught on a stray root and he fell forward into a pile of leaves which abruptly gave way to a deep hole in the ground that he then fell into.

Gavin screamed as he fell down the hole and braced himself for impact as he hit soft and damp dirt with a loud _oof._ He rolled forward and stopped sprawled out, face first on the ground. His head felt like it was spinning in circles, so he stayed lying down for a while till he managed to regain his senses.

His body was aching all over from the thankfully short fall. None of his bones felt broken but he was sure his body was now covered in some bruises. He breathed a sigh of relief and placed his head sideways with his bruised cheek against the ground. He groaned while closing his eyes, wanting to remain on the soft and cool dirt for a little while longer, until he felt water dripping on his cheek.

He blinked his eyes open to see where the water was coming from. He saw a tongue stretch out towards his face and lick his cheek. He yelped in surprise and quickly scurried away from whatever creature was licking him. He blinked rapidly in surprise and stared at the creature before him in bewilderment. It looked at him with somehow, an unimpressed expression and _baa’_ ed at him impassively.

It was a goat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg I wrote this chapter like half a year ago and never got around to proofreading this till now, right before finals. Ah, the places procastination can take you...
> 
> I never had a good track record (or any record at all...) with multi-chapter fics as I don't really write anything long unless I really really have to get a plotbunny out that cannot be satisfied by reading other fanfics. Soooo you may never know when the next chapter might make it. 
> 
> I apologize but at least the good news is that this plotbunny has been hounding me for a heck of a long time so this fic might not be given up yet....?
> 
> Anyways, thank you those who had given kudos, commented and bookmarked this fic. You guys really made me happy and I'll try to update this story as soon as I can.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is the first fanfic I have ever posted on ao3 so if I miss out any tags, let me know. I don't normally write fanfics but this idea is one of the very few that nagged at me enough to actually write something at 3am in the morning.
> 
> Many, many, many thanks to my beta reader and best friend who beta read for the first time, Natasha. All the kudos to her for tolerating my terrible grammar and vocabulary.


End file.
